Panang (พะแนง)

The Curry That Broke the Internet

In 2023, TasteAtlas ranked panang the #6 food in the world — and its #1 stew. The photograph showed a tofu panang topped with peanuts, a lime wedge and coriander, and Thai cooks collectively asked whether that was even panang. The ranking was a compliment; the photo was not.

The real panang descends from King Rama V's royal kitchens. M.L. Nueang Nilrat — raised by the head of the royal kitchen herself — recorded the court recipe: meat simmered in coconut milk, paste fried in the cream, ground peanuts stirred in as the curry reduces, served with pickled shallots, sweet basil sprigs and fresh chillies arranged around the rim. No lime anywhere.

And the dish is its own thing. A Pantip commenter put the genealogy best: panang paste is the kua paste plus the "nine-spice blend" and roasted peanuts — "not a stir-fry and not a curry." Which is why their next sentence stings: "Nowadays everyone makes it with red curry paste — it just tastes like dry red curry." The western error, called out by Thai cooks years ago.

The Paste (from scratch — Michelin Guide restaurant weights)

The classical nine-spice depth (พิกัดเก้า): dry-roast and pound — star anise 1 part, cinnamon 1, lesser galangal 1, bay leaf 1, white pepper 1, nutmeg 1, mace 1, cardamom 1, coriander seed 5. Add to the paste for the old-school version.

The curry — แกง (beef; serves 4)

The Method

1. Pound the paste — soaked dried chillies with the galangal, lemongrass, makrut zest, shallots, garlic, grilled shrimp paste and salt, until completely fine. The classical nine-spice blend goes in too if you want the old depth.
2. Braise the beef first. Court method: the meat simmers in the thin coconut milk over low heat until tender — about 40–50 minutes for shank. The paste joins after.
3. Fry the paste. Low heat, a touch of oil, paste in until fragrant; then the coconut cream goes in gradually, stirred as the paste dissolves into it.
4. Beef in. Fold the braised beef in with some of its cooking liquid and simmer until the oil visibly breaks out of the cream — the surface turns glossy red-gold. That's the panang point.
5. Peanuts in the curry. Ground roasted peanuts stirred in — never sprinkled on top — then the sugar, and the fish sauce poured around the rim of the pan so it hits hot metal and blooms. Reduce until thick and clinging.
6. Plate it properly. Drizzle of cream, makrut chiffonade, chilli threads soaked in cold water to stay bright. Pickled shallots, basil sprigs and fresh chillies around the plate — the three court companions, chewed together with each spoonful. Jasmine rice. No lime.

Where Thai Sources Disagree

How Western Versions Get It Wrong

• Red curry paste + peanut butter. The exact shortcut the Pantip thread mocks: "it just tastes like dry red curry." Panang paste is its own recipe — kua paste, nine spices, roasted peanuts.
• Peanuts as a garnish. They go into the curry as it reduces, ground fine. A sprinkle on top is decoration, not the dish.
• The lime wedge. The TasteAtlas garnish that confused Thailand. The court recipe has no lime; the accompaniments are pickled shallots, basil and fresh chillies.
• Soupy. Panang is reduced until the oil breaks and the curry clings thick. If it pools like a soup, it isn't finished.
• Boiled, not braised. The meat simmers gently in coconut milk first; hard boiling turns both meat and curry.
• The three companions dropped. Pickled shallots, sweet basil and fresh chilli pieces are part of the court plate — chewed together with the curry, not decoration.

UK Ingredient Notes

• Beef shank = ask the butcher for shin; brisket or chuck also work. Marbling matters — lean stewing beef goes dry.
• Dried spur chillies (the long mild-red ones) and bird's eye: Asian grocers. Deseed the spur chillies or the curry runs hot instead of rich.
• Grilled shrimp paste: wrap a lump in foil and dry-toast it in a pan a few minutes each side — the grilling is what changes it.
• Makrut leaves: fresh in Asian grocers, frozen as backup; freeze well whole.
• Pickled shallots: quick pickle — thin slices in rice vinegar, sugar and salt for 30 minutes. The sour bite is the court companion.
• Lesser galangal (เปราะหอม) for the nine-spice blend is the hard one — Asian grocers' spice aisles sometimes carry it; skip it rather than substitute.

Sources

This recipe is translated from the following Thai-language sources. Where they disagree, we've said so.